Auxiliary sustaining and propelling means for airplanes



J. F. BERRY 1,742,123

AUXILIARY SUSTAINING AND PROPELLING MEANS FOR AIRPLANES Deg-31, 1929.

2 Sheets-Sheet Filed Feb. 21, 1929 J. F. BERRY I Dec. 31, 1929.

AUXILIARY SUSTAINING AND PROPELLING MEANS FOR AIRPLANES Filed Feb. 21,1929 2 Sheets-Sheet & 3 Wk Q MVHMIQI Mr J Patented Dec. 31, 1929 J'OHNFRANKLIN BERRY, OF LEWIS, IOWA AUXILIABY SUSTAINING AND PROPELCLINGMEANS FOR AIRPLANES Application filed February 21, 1929. Serial No.341,738.

This invention relates to airplanes and has for its object the provisionof means whereby the vacuum above the wings of the plane may beincreased and a further object in this connection is to provide anengine drivenexhaust fan mounted in an airplane in such position and soconnected as to cause a vacuum to be created above the wings of' theplane and above the body of the plane and to cause a compression of theair below or behind the body and wings by discharging the airfrom saidexhaust fan beneath or behind thefuselage of the plane, a created vacuumabove and a compression of the air below thebody to be used for causingthe plane to be lifted in, sus

tained in or lowered in the air.

Other objects will appear in the course of the following description.

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein JFigure lis a plan view of an airplane havng my improvement appliedthereto;

Figure 2 is a longitudinal sectional through the fuselage of the plane;Figure 3 is a vertical section on the line 33 of Figure 2. Referring tothe drawings, it will be seen that I have illustrated an ordinary planehaving the fuselage 10 and the single aerofoil or 80 wing 11 of anyusual or suitable form. The engine 12 is disposed in'the nose or forwardend of the fuselage behind the radiator 13 and, of course, the machineis provided with the'usualpropeller 14. Disposed behind the engine cowlof the engine compartment 15 is a fan compartment 16 wherein is disposedan exhaust fan 17 of any suitable character driven by the shaft .of theengine. Entering the compartment 16 is a wind trunk 18 which extendsupward to any suitable height. and is connected to wind trunk branches19 extending in opposite directions along the body of the wing orplane-11 and opening upon the upper surface of the plane as at 20. Theexhaust compartment 16 has a discharge opening 21 shown as dischargingdownward through the fuselage.

Mounted upon the wing 11'in conjunction with each of the openings 8 isacover 22 shown 3 as a sliding cover pivoted upon a vertical view "shaft as before stated, e

being contr The opening 21 olled by a rotatcovers is mounted upon a achshaft being shown as provided with an arm and there being push and pullrods or e into the pilot trolling mean are such that s compartment thepilot may of these valves or covers in quivalent elements leading 25.These cons for the several covers or valves control any one dependentlyof each other. The duct 18 will preferably extend upward to the topsurfa opening throu opening 26 swinging co leads rearward throu duct 22and 0 fuselage as at 28. Th provided with a cover through may becontrolled.

cc of the fuselge gh this top surface as at 26, this being likewiseprovided with a ver 22 and preferably a duct 27 gh the fuselage from thepens upon the upper face of the is opening may also be whereby passagethere- Disposed within these several ducts or branches are the dampers29 of balancing the pl tion through the for the purpose ane bycontrolling the sucse different ducts, these dampers being connected bymeans of links and levers to a c that he can control ontrol at thepilots seat so the balance of the plane by giving one duct more air thanthereby lifting or lowering the plane at one or more points as the casemight be for balanother,

' ancing, it being understood that the vacuum is createdby the fan aboveand around the intake ports while pressure is the exhaust for the purpport. The covers 22 are mainly ose of keeping out the water from createdaround the openings 20 or 26 and forthe purpose of preventing anysuction from these points when the plane is moving forward. The cover 24as before stated may be being created at also provided for the exhaustport or for the same purpose. 1

While I have illustrated d upon the top of the plane eitl:

ucts which open er through the,

fuselage or. through the wings and have shown the outlet port as openingthrough the bottom ofthe' fuselage, I wish it to be understood thatinlet ports mi of the plane and the outlet ght be in front port behindfor Leo be so placed design at all.

the purpose of causing the propulsion of the machine.

While; this construction is best suited to a monoplane where the intakeducts can be incorporated in the structure of the upper wing or in thebraces of the plane, thereby making the wing stronger, I do not wish tobe limited to this. The ducts in the wings are so placed that they donot interfere with any other apparatus on the plane and the duct runningto the rear of the fuselage may that it will not interfere with thecarrying capacity of the lane. This invention if properly installe willadd very little ,weight and will not change the outward The exhaust fanis mounted directly behind the motor and is connected thereto by aclutch. The propeller in front of the plane is also, of course,connected to the motor by a clutch and the operation of these clutchesis under control of the pilot. It will be seen that both the propellerand the exhaust may be used simultaneously or inde-,

pendently.

I claim 1. In an airplane, an engine driven exhaust fan and casingtherefor and inlet ducts leading to the fan casing from one face of theairplane structure and a discharge duct leading from the fan casing toan opposite face of the airplane structure and manually controllablecovers mounted upon the airplane structure and adapted to close the openends of the ducts, the covers being independently operable, the ends ofthe ducts having enlargements to receive said covers and said coversbeing disposed for sliding movement within the outer covering of theairplane structure and shiftable into place within said enlargements toclose said ducts.

2. In an airplane having a fuselage and a wing, an engine driven exhaustfan and casing therefor disposed in the fuselage, air inlet ductsleading from thefan easing into said wing and opening uponthe upper faceof the wing at a plurality of points, the fan casing having a dischargeduct leading to the under face of the fuselage,.the ends of the inletduct on the upper face of the wing having manually controllableindependently operable covers movably disposed within the outer coveringof thefuselage and wings and said inlet ducts beingprovided withindependently operable manually controllable dampers.

3. In an airplane having a fuselage and a wing extending in oppositedirections from the fuselage, an engine driven exhaust fan and casingtherefor disposed within the fuselage, an upwardly and rearwardlyextending duct leading from said fan to the top of the fuselage andhaving branches leading laterally toward the ends of the Wing, therebeing an opening throu h the top of the fuselage and through the WlIlgSat the ends of said ducts,

signature.

JOHN FRANKLIN BERRY.

